81-87 Repop sheet metal

[Orion88]

Who has used aftermarket sheet metal on their trucks? Who was the manufacturer (not the seller/distributor) and how was fitment/alignment? Did you have to work them over to get them to fit properly? Pictures of panel gaps would be much appreciated. Finding rust free fenders and a hood in Indiana is a bit of a challenge. With the headaches Im having on my 70 GTO restoration, I'm leery of repop metal. If I can just bolt them on and block them out that would be ideal. Thanks in advance.

[Willowrun]

My opinion is to hold out for original GM. I used repop once and won't ever again.

[N2TRUX]

Go with Goodmark. Its as good if not better than OEM. Forum Vendor Capt. Koas sells it.

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

I definitely would not recommend it. I drove to Georgia from South Carolina to pick up the Stepside bed for my 81 Chevy project. I have no regrets having done so.

[Blessed66]

The general opinon I've always heard is it's not worth it. This applies to all cars, not just our trucks. I serviced a body shop at a dealership and our body shop manager used to fight tooth and nail with insurance companies that wanted them to use aftermarket body parts.

He used to swear that he'd bill them for all the labor to work the stuff that the bid would come out to the same price as OE body parts.

So, for whatever that story was worth, I'd say don't do it.

[chrismoore701]

I bought all my stuff from classic parts of America. It is not the best. But it worked. If you want the best and have the money buy nos. but plan to pay up to 3 times the price. All my panels turned out great. A little work but no big deal

[95 S_Trucker]

7-8 years ago, I bought a pair of fenders from lmc. There were from overseas somewhere, and they fit great. A few shims here and there.

[kalbert]

You can usually get away with aftermarket fenders and patch panels, but the hoods, doors, tailgates, box sides, and bed floor are flimsy. Tailgates especially are crap, can't even close it without bowing. For sure can't stand on it.

[Blessed66]

Originally Posted by 95 S_Trucker

7-8 years ago, I bought a pair of fenders from lmc. There were from overseas somewhere, and they fit great. A few shims here and there.

Shims on these trucks is par for the course. Mine had atleast one in every position on the fenders, and the front end sheet metal had never been touched before.

[barry1982]

I have restored a few squares over the years... and have had good/bad experiences with re pops. They are DEFINITELY no where near OEM. However, with our trucks getting so old, OEM is getting difficult/expensive to obtain.
I am currently restoring an 82 High Sierra and purchased inner/outer cab corners, and inner/outer rocker panels from a company out of the US called "Key Parts". I was surprised to see they are actually made of a heavier gauge metal than OEM, and the fit was bang on. The thicker metal made mig welding them in A LOT easier..... If their fenders/doors etc. are of equal quality, would not hesitate checking them out.

[Orion88]

Sounds like pretty mixed results. I would have to drive 6+ hours to find truck parts that have never seen salt. I see lots of people on Craigslist with seemingly decent metal, but most people on Craigslist aren't very keep on PayPal and shipping, especially for oversized items like fenders and hoods. I can get two aftermarket fenders shipped for under $200. Most people want $50-75 for original fenders with a ding here or there and minimal surface rust, but no telling what it would cost to convince them to ship...

[tucsonjwt]

For background, I shipped leftover sheet metal parts to the states of Washington (via Fed Ex Ground) and Main (via Greyhound bus) from Arizona. Greyhound requires that the recipient travel to a designated location to pick up the shipment (in the case of Maine it was a truck terminal.) Both shipments cost about $45-$50.

You can buy aftermarket fenders on Ebay for about $35 with free shipping. I don't know how they do it, but the seller claims it is true.

I think if you are persistent with Ebay or Craigslist sellers in the desert southwest you will find sellers willing to ship to you. It is true that you will likely have small dings on the used parts, but you will also have small dings with the aftermarket parts, since they ship without good packaging. Any body shop can work out small dings without much trouble, or you can do it yourself with some Harbor Freight body tools.

If you are just building a driver quality truck, then aftermarket parts are probably OK for your purpose. If you are particular with fit and durability, then you will want to look for used OEM parts. If you need a lot of sheet metal, you are better off buying a used truck with a good body and have it transported to you (maybe $800 shipping?.) You can search CL in the southwest cities (Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, El Paso, etc.) and find good trucks with mechanical problems for $1000 or so. Take the parts you need and sell the rest locally - you will likely break even if you get a good truck. This is worth some CL research.

I still have an 81-87 left inner fender(did not need it on my truck) but nobody wanted to pay shipping on it.

[Robert8096]

I purchased a set of aftermarket fenders for my 74 short bed and they sucked. The fit was OK but the material thickness was horrible. I fitted them to the truck and my grandchild leaned up against one and I saw the metal bow. No way was I going to do all the paint and body work to those fenders to have someone casually lean up against the truck and ruin all my work. I ended up buying a complete 78 Suburban out of North Carolina just for the factory front fenders. I still buy 73-80 OEM fenders anytime I run across one. Purchased a aftermarket cowl hood and that was a major PIA to get fitted to look somewhat decent.